WORCESTER—Expanding access to primary care and preparing for next winter’s emergency shelter needs are among the topics the city council’s Public Health and Human Services Committee takes up Monday evening.
The committee is scheduled to hold a public hearing on whether Worcester should endorse a series of state bills aimed at expanding access to primary care across Massachusetts. The legislation — known as “primary care for you” — would make primary care free for patients at participating practices, eliminating copays and deductibles.
According to the agenda materials, the bills have already been endorsed by the Worcester Board of Health, the cities of Springfield and Cambridge, the Massachusetts Medical Society and UMass Memorial Health, along with other organizations. The proposal is described in the agenda as “historic Primary Care legislation” that would “increase access to Primary Care making it free for the patients of practices that opt-in” and “dramatically decrease health inequities in Massachusetts.”
Committee members also talk about plans to hold one or more public hearings ahead of next winter to identify additional emergency shelter locations for Worcester’s unhoused population. The request calls for planning “far in advance of next winter” to help ensure a sufficient number of safe and secure shelter sites for the 2026–2027 winter season.
The proposed hearings would also focus on strategies to increase volunteer participation at emergency shelters and provide training for those assisting during winter operations — an issue that has drawn attention in recent years as demand for shelter space has grown.
The Public Health and Human Services Committee, chaired by Councilor Gary Rosen, is scheduled to meet Monday, April 6, at 5:15 p.m. in the Esther Howland Chamber at City Hall. Remote participation is also be available via Zoom.
